Review: Anti-bastard – Self titled LP

The only good bastard is a very dead bastard

Directly from Germany, a band that every street punk rock kid will totally dig! Anti-Bastard come straight outta Berlin, even if their singer comes from Australia, and in this German metropolis – between the post-modern grimness and the vitality of the underground scene – they have started moving the very first steps, supporting squatting spaces, playing on moving tracks during the demonstrations and in various punk festivals. They come shredding with these 13 tracks of solid and angst-fueled punk rock, with deep hardcore influences (and rock’n’roll influences too) in which, besides the aggressive guitar riffing, we can find some very political and radical lyrics, focused on anarchism and social unrest, but always avoiding boring and pre-fab slogan and clichés.

Beyond the lyrical aspects, Anti-Bastard are surely well trained musicians: powerful and snotty guitars, confusing drums stop-and-goes and nothing but predictable structures are things that will soon come at your attention, from the very first listening of their debut album, that follows the 2016 split with the almighty Oi Polloi. Their sound reminds me something between The Restarts and the gutter punk sound of the ‘90s Bay Area bands, like Grimple, The Blatz and Filth, just to name a few (if you haven’t heard of them, run to your nearest record store or, otherwise, check them out on YouTube). You can notice that in songs like “bleak street” my personal favourite track of the record. Nonetheless, their hardcore roots are nothing but hidden, I hear a lot of Poison Idea influences in songs like “malevolent blues” or “state your hate”. The record comes in 500 copies for the Angry Voice Records label, and it’s spreading – through independent stores and distros – across the UK, Germany and France, though remaining in free streaming on their bandcamp page. So, c’mon guys, almost every one of us got internet access and buying records is now easier than ever, without even moving a single buttcheek, so run to your fidelity distro or contact the band itself, ‘cause this is absolutely a worth-have record, to play loud with a couple of beers.

PS: This record is dedicated to Nick, guitarist of the band, who has died in 2017. I think that things like this are always worth mentioning.

Rashad